Bourbon Reviews:




Bottling NameWathen's
TypeKentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Alcohol content94 Proof
Availability US: Available Japan: Unknown Duty Free: Not Available Europe: Unknown
Views (since 20080612) 87153
Bottling Info<From the Wathens Website>
Your bottle of Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon is a product of distilling expertise that goes back to the very beginning of bourbon whiskey
Charles W. Medley and his son Samuel Wathen Medley continue this proud eight generation, 250 year tradition.
Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon is a premium Kentucky Bourbon created by Charles W. Medley using the same recipe and techniques that have been handed directly and unchanged through eight generations of the Wathen and Medley families. The two families combined their unwavering commitment to quality with the conditions and ingredients of the region to produce Kentucky's finest straight bourbon whiskey.
Pristine water, naturally filtered through Kentucky's underground limestone deposits, is used exclusively in the 100% copper doubling process. This finest cereal grains - corn, rye, and malted barley - are selected, milled, and proportioned to exacting standards to produce a mash that awaits the magic of the fermentation process. The Medley family yeast, a zealously guarded secret handed down through eight generations, is then added to the mash. After double distilling, the whiskey is then stored in the finest charred new white oak barrels and allowed to age unhurried to its peak of flavor. Time honored tradition, hands-on expertise, and old-fashioned know-how are the final ingredients.
The result is Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon. A rich tawny caramel color, this mellow premium straight Bourbon whiskey is the essence of smoothness.
Taste it and we think you will agree Wathen's Kentucky Bourbon is the proudest achievement of bourbon whiskey's royal family.
Wathen's KentuckyBourbon is a single barrel bourbon.



Review from Briandbryant (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 2345, Created:20150806153159)
Purchased at:Utah State liquor store
Purchased for:$35.99
Info on this bottle:Barrel 264, Hand Bottled 3-17-2015
Nose:Sweet and no chemical or harshness. Very pleasant nose compared to many Bourbons in this price range.
Taste:Soft. Smooth. Pleasant. If held in mouth, particularly under tongue (my favorite way to test, and enjoy, any whisky or whiskey, a very pleasant and growing intensity of the burn. Very delicious with nice, but not overly stated, complexity. A smooth and delightful Bourbon with a nice long finish and lingering delightful sweet smoothness. Perfect for slow sipping and long enjoyment of a single shot. Excellent in a sniffing glass. The nose is pleasant all by itself.
Finish:Long. Sweet, but not overly so. Straightforward with just enough come city to keep you guessing g and coming back again and again. Nothing chemical or harsh. Smooth.
Overall:Greatly preferred over many others, even at higher prices. Daily or special occasions. Delightful. Not well known so I took a change and was delighted.

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Review from Mike (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 2104, Created:20120801165308)
Purchased at:
Nose:Very nice aromas of leather, rye, peaches, caramel, oak, butterscotch, and vanilla, all leading to great expectations.
Taste:Rich sweet butterscotchy/corny opening that is thick. A nice dose of spice with it cinnamony cast breaks out at midpalate and hauls eveything toward the back of the mouth. Excellent taste!
Finish:Moderate right the way through........ lots of sweetness and spice left lying about for your pleasure.
Overall:Very, very good bourbon, in fact, excellent bourbon, and in further fact, very near great bourbon......... especially for the money.

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Review from BuffaloBill (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1993, Created:20111005181918)
Purchased at:Cape Cod
Purchased for:$30
Info on this bottle:Barrel 79 on 5/22/09
Nose:Opened and removed 1 ounce in January of 2011. Aired for 10 months. Reidel Xo = big time citrus notes with mottled fruit. Super tight. Seriously refined. Slight grain. and alcohol. Big top-end perfume notes. Powdery. Mean legs, the finest drip. Still appears to have the Cognac style appearance after more air.
Taste:Round, Delayed attack. Honey coated, luxurious. Dense and concentrated, coconut, grain, spice, seriously consistent and long. Wow Factor. Allspice and viscous.
Finish:Long and refined.
Overall:It shows fine caramel in a tulip. Streamlined bourbon to the nines... this needs to air for a long time to be great. It's better than a fine Scotch! 4.5 Stars. BB

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Review from Teflon (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1806, Created:20100216003832)
Purchased at:Owensboro, Kentucky (Hometown of Charles Medley)
Purchased for:$30
Info on this bottle:as above
Nose:Brown sugar, plum, mild tobacco, oaky w/ chocalate overtones. Nice, nice and more nice. Sort of gives one an anticipation of a dark, strong taste but....
Taste:Surprise...there is not a dark, strong taste. Instead there is a smooth extremely well refined oak flavor with vanilla riding along side. I really have trouble describing Wathens taste for some reason...it's complex and by all means pleasing. Charles Medley has done a great job here, the bourbon is hearty but not overpowering. It is extremely full bodied but yet extremely smooth. Great job guys!
Finish:Fantastic finish. Medium duration but spicy spicy and more spicy. And from somewhere comes a little burn to kick it all in. It's just so GOOD I wish it lasted longer. Mr. Medley can work on that one next I suppose.
Overall:This needs to be in your cabinent if you are serious about bourbon. In a funny way I call it my knock around bourbon but that's really doing it a disservice. This is great whiskey I think it deserves some acclaim. Buy it, drink it, and enjoy. You will be doing yourself a favor with Wathen's.

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Review from Don Galligan (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1786, Created:20100104132653)
Purchased at:Idaho State Liquor Dispensary
Purchased for:$27
Info on this bottle:Barrel # 790 Bottled on 9/1/09
Nose:Plumbs and Brown Sugar with a hint of wood
Taste:Very nice with the plums I detected in the nose, dark cherries, brown sugar, and a kiss of the barrel. Adding ice opened it up with caramel flavor, and a hint of licorice spice on the finish.
Finish:It was a subdued finish that lasted around 45 seconds. I was expecting a little more robust finish, but this was more like a wheater finish with the rye flavor.
Overall:very good bourbon. Simple and flavorful. Definitely worthy of a spot in your bunker.

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Review from Mike (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1707, Created:20090929182123, Updated:20090929184043)
Purchased at:
Purchased for:$36
Info on this bottle:Barrel #268, bottled on 2-22-2007
Nose:Leather, caramel, light oak and char, nutmeg, freshly mown grains, rye, vanilla, and a whiff of citrus. A first rate bourbon nose that pleases to no end.
Taste:Rich buttery mouthfeel with lots of corn sweetness and touches of caramel and vanilla. The follow-on spice (pepper, cinnamon, rye) is well balanced and integrated. The richness remains through the spice......complex flavors go on and on, yet remain in harmony............what a treat! Subtle, sophisticated, but certainly not shy!
Finish:Moderately long with a lingering balance between the creamy sweetness and the subdued but zippy spice.
Overall:Although there is no age statement, my guess is that this bourbon is 8 to 10 years old. It is beautifully balanced between the barrel and the rye mash recipe. This bourbon and Four Roses Single Barrel, both still in the mid to high $30 range, are among the very best bourbons around these days in my opinion. A very high rating for Wathen's Single Barrel from me!!

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Review from Dump Bucket (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1475, Created:20090208214006)
Purchased at:ACDetroit
Nose:Brown sugar over oatmeal. There is corn and some dried fruits.

Interesting nose. The is an element of banana pudding and some vanilla in play here as well. I really dig this nose. Much better than last time.
Taste:Corn and youth upfront. There is some cinnamon in there with the banana pudding, but in a god way.
Finish:Smooth, very creamy with that banana pudding taste there again. BVery nice
Overall:I do not like the old banana taste some bourbons have, but this one has it in its youth and it is in good balance with all the other scents and tastes. Not sure I will buy a bottle, but I will drink if it is around???

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Review from azoth_melusina (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1425, Created:20090114170537, Updated:20090114180538) View discussion on this review.
Purchased at:Yetter's (Claymont, DE)
Purchased for:30.99
Info on this bottle:barrel #857, bottled 4-14-08
Nose:very distinct! tobacco, heather, other floral notes, leather; i could smell it before i even had it near my nose, but it's a focused olfactory sense, not a matter of alcohol strength. maybe catching more pleasant smells: ok, there's hay or straw and that mysterious sweetness...like the smell at a carnival near the cotton candy stand but mingling gently with the above impressions. impressive!
Taste:light, tingly but not spicy. very similar for some reason to Old Grand Dad 114 (of course, 20 proof lighter, but definitely more elegant); like all OGD expressions, has a thin rather than 'thick' sense of viscosity. not a bad thing. just different.

it has that something that hits the roof of the mouth and lingers; catching more zing now across the tongue and down the back of the throat...not sure what i can reference! maybe bitter honey but it's not that sweet. a drop of water didn't really clear the fog. a small taste of milk chocolate really brought out more zing and burn. still, i am scatching my head...
Finish:the fog increases...pleasantly, of course! i love puzzles and mysteries. not that this is complex, just a classy conundrum. one minute later and the roof of my mouth is still actively working on the after-spice affect. this is an interesting, subtle, (mysteriously!) flavorful pour of bourbon. i am still catching odd, lingering notes that still won't suggest real time associations!
Overall:might go for one more pour, let this sit, wait until the weekend...or next weekend (and just go buy that Stagg and keep myself occupied) and return to THIS. a good gamble for sure. i am intrigued. maybe the most pleasantly disorienting bottle i've had yet. (ok, one last big sip....taste...roll and chew....swallow....i got bing cherries!...but then, it shifts again....hmmm and wow)

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Review from spun_cookie (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 1127, Created:20080611170540)
Purchased at:
Info on this bottle:there was about 20% of the bottle left
Nose:Banana, light spice, banana breed. Seems old to me
Taste:This is like Jack Daniels hidden in another bottle. All the banana and spice from the JDSS
Finish:Finish is a strong banana bread. Can't get past that
Overall:I would like to think this bottle may have been on the shelf a long time. I will have to try again

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Review from birdman1099 (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 950, Created:20071218194157)
Purchased at:local Liq
Purchased for:38
Info on this bottle:barrel 251
Proof Of this Bottle:94
Nose:pleasing nose. floral and vanilla scents
Taste:smooth up front. little presence of alcohol.
Finish:Finnish is long with a hint of spice. Very nice.
Overall:Keep in mind, this is my first review. I did have it on ice.
Overall, this is one one my favorites. smooth and unassuming up front makes it an easy drinker. the spicy finish satisfies me immensely. Price wise, it is at the top of its proper price range. Honestly a great bourbon, maybe just a bit (a few dollars) overpriced.

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Review from Mike (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 770, Created:20070525124546)
Purchased at:Sigman Spirits, Conyers, GA
Purchased for:$36
Info on this bottle:Barrel #268
Nose:Clover flowers, butterscotch, leather, oak wood, vanilla, and dark chocolate. Deep and rich with very little input from the alcohol. I am very impressed, each time I inhale its aromas, I find something new and interesting.
Taste:So thick, so rich and creamy as it makes its way across your palate. Butterscotch, char, cream, vanilla and some warming spice that creates a glow which never gets too hot. Lots of body to hold the complex of flavors.
Finish:Robust viscousness insures that the flavors fade slowly with the alcohol adding to the interest, never becoming demanding.
Overall:A truly first rate bourbon!! Let it speak for itself!

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Review from bourbonv (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 473, Created:20060426091824)
Purchased at:Bourbon's Bistro Bar
Purchased for:8.00
Info on this bottle:Single barrel #223
Proof Of this Bottle:94
Nose:Vanilla nad caramel with oak and dark fruit - apricots, and a hint of nutmeg spice.
Taste:Very nice mouth feel with no burn. Sweet caramel and apple fruit, peppery spice and oak wood.
Finish:Sweet and fruity with some caramel and oak - very nice.
Overall:Drink it neat, or, if you must, in a manhattan. Very good bourbon.

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Review from JoeBourbon (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 273, Created:20050908162318)
Purchased at:House of Bourbon in Owensboro Kentucky
Purchased for:29.85
Info on this bottle:Barrel No. 205, Hand Bottled 10/7/04. UPC 83103 Bottled in San Jose, California
Nose:Great nose, very little alcohol, licorice, tobacco, dryish.
Taste:Nice mouth feel. Not sweet. Subtle floral tones. Nice rye spice. Virtually no alcohol burn.
Finish:Somewhat dry finish, medium in length.
Overall:I think this is a great bourbon and definitely in my top tier. Highly recommended.

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Review from TNbourbon (BourbonEnthusiast Review ID 130)
Purchased at:Middle Tennessee
Purchased for:$28
Info on this bottle:Barrel #10, Hand Bottled 3-27-97, signed by Charles Medley
Nose:Floral honey, with prominent vanilla taking over from underneath.
Taste:Butterscotch, leather, pepper -- appearing in that order, in about equal intensity. Medium-heavy body makes its presence known. The alcohol then takes over and pinpricks the tasting surfaces.
Finish:The pepper/spice hangs on, drying into a pine-needle covering of pitch-sticky viscosity, holding on to the heat without catching fire into burn.
Overall:This bottling -- which, by the way, is the same barrel reviewed by the Regans in "The Bourbon Companion" -- is in my Top 10 (maybe my Top 5). Fortunately, I have another bunkered. This is a sophisticated mid-proof bourbon with no glaring negatives, and plenty of pleasantries. It won't knock your socks off, but will warm you down to your toes instead.

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